Ships Briefly Sailed
by bellatrixweasley
Summary: A collection of drabbles and oneshots for the Write All the Ships Challenge.
1. LavenderLuna - In the Owlery

**Author's Note: This is written for the Write All the Ships Challenge. Enjoy!**

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><p>Lavender had a letter to deliver to her parents, and she desperately wanted their response, for the letter was about Dolores Jane Umbridge, who had put her favorite teacher, Professor Trelawney, on probation. The Gryffindor fifth-year wanted her parents', particularly her mother's, advice on trying to get Trelawney off probation, though she knew that she would likely not have much of an effect. However, Sybill Trelawney was Lavender's favorite teacher, so Lavender would do as much as she possibly could.<p>

She rushed up to the Owlery, not paying attention to her surroundings. She had already searched through the owls, trying to determine which ones belonged to students and which were the property of the school, and selected one of the school owls to borrow when she heard a voice behind her.

"Hello, Lavender." Lavender froze. She would recognize that voice anywhere. It was Luna Lovegood, a fourth-year Ravenclaw, who Lavender always seemed to be shy around. _You do _not_ like her_, Lavender told herself firmly. _You are a girl. Girls do not have feelings for other girls. They have feelings for boys and boys only. Besides, that's Loony Lovegood. Everyone makes fun of her._

"Um – hi, Luna." Lavender turned a brilliant shade of pink. "Er – how – how long have you been here?"

"I've been here since six."

Lavender was puzzled. Three hours in the Owlery? Luna must have sensed the other girl's puzzlement, for she explained further:

"Blibbering Humdingers like owls. I was waiting for one to come in. You seem in a hurry," she remarked.

"Oh, yes, I – I have a letter. For – my parents. It's just – Umbridge has been so – cruel lately. Putting Trelawney on probation!"

"I feel sorry for Professor Umbridge. Something horrible must have happened to her to make her so unpleasant. Perhaps a Crumple-Horned Snorkack attacked her family. They are docile, normally, but when provoked, they can cause great damage. I hope she starts being nicer to people." Luna looked slightly sad in pity for Umbridge.

Lavender had never thought of Umbridge's meanness in this way before. "Maybe you're right. Er – what's a Crumple-Horned Snorkack?" she asked, confused.

"Oh, well, I'm not sure what one looks like, exactly, but I know that their horn is swirly and they live in the wild. I've never seen one, but Daddy knows they exist, and there have been loads of sightings. It was nice of you to ask," Luna added happily. "Most people don't care. They don't believe in anything they haven't seen. I wish they were more trusting." She looked saddened again.

"I – I care!" Lavender blurted unexpextedly. _WHAT? Lavender didn't care, couldn't care! This was _the _Loony Lovegood. Nobody cared about her. She was the weirdo, the outcast, the odd one out._

"That's very kind of you. I care, too."

"You – what?" Lavender exclaimed, shocked. "Sorry." She apologized quickly, hoping she hadn't offended Luna.

"No, it's fine. It's okay to be surprised. Surprises can be fun." And with that, she kissed Lavender.

It was a gentle, beautiful, blissful kiss. Lavender was tentative at first, then truly let herself relax and enjoy, to appreciate that Luna loved her back. They pulled apart gently. Luna smiled.

"Thank you," said Luna simply.

Lavender was silent. She crumpled her letter and shoved it deep into the left pocket of her robes, deciding not to deliver it. The owl, seeing this, flew off to the other side of the room. She had gotten all the advice she needed from Luna. Pity Umbridge, however inexplicably cruelly she might behave, for one cannot make assumptions about her past.

Luna said nothing more; she continued to stare out of a window, watching for Blibbering Humdingers, Lavender supposed, whatever those were. Lavender slowly walked out of the Owlery, then turned back.

"I – I love you, Luna."

Luna beamed.

Lavender walked towards the Gryffindor tower, still slightly in shock. Outside of the portrait, she paused and shook her head to try and rid herself of thoughts of Luna Lovegood, but they remained stubbornly put. Ah, well.

She said the password and climbed through the portrait hole.

"What took you so long?" Parvati Patil, her best friend, demanded the moment Lavender set foot in the common room. "I thought you were just delivering a letter."

Lavender thought fast. "I was – stopped by Umbridge."

Parvati seemed to accept this. "Oh, okay. She's awful, isn't she?"

Lavender hesitated, then decided she couldn't give any clue that she had changed a bit. "Yes, she's simply horrid."

They went on to discuss Charms homework, Professor Grubbly-Plank, and other trivial things of the sort. All the while, Lavender felt a fire burning inside her, kindled by her love for Luna Lovegood.

Meanwhile, Luna was still in the Owlery. She hadn't been very surprised at Lavender, for Luna had suspected the other girl's true feelings for a while, but she was thrilled nonetheless. Lavender loved her, she loved Lavender. It was as if it were a fairytale.


	2. GeorgeLuna - Orion's Squirrel

George hadn't smiled since Fred's death. Not even once. More than a year had passed, yet George was still mourning for his twin. This took its toll on the rest of the family; Fred and George, mischievous spirits that they were, used to be the source of light and laughter in the Weasley household. Granted, the other Weasley children, but for Percy, did their fair share, but Fred and George had truly been the family comedians.

Now, however, things had changed. Fred was gone; George was deeply depressed. He hadn't been to work since the Battle of Hogwarts; the shop had a saddening sign on the front that read "Closed until Further Notice." Passing children would always look unhappily upon this sign, wondering what had happened. George had enough money to last him a lifetime, but the children, and even some adults, missed him, his cheerful demeanor, the two Weasleys, jollily going about their business in the shop and playing with the little ones.

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><p>George sat by his twin's grave in the Weasleys' yard. Fred had always wanted to be buried at the Burrow, rather than in a general cemetery. George couldn't take it any longer, couldn't survive without his brother and best friend. His family didn't need him, for all he was doing was making them more depressed. They had moved on; he had not. <em>Fat lot of good I'm doing everyone<em>, he thought. _Might as well just go and – hey, that's an idea_. George was that desperate to be gone, gone from this world, gone forever.

That night, he went to the bottom of Stoatshead Hill, to the side facing away from the town of Ottery St. Catchpole. No one would ever find him there, his family would not have to know the gruesome thing he was about to do. They could move on once George was no longer weighing the rest down with the memory of his identical twin. George didn't want to live any longer, had no motivation, no laughter. He closed his eyes, laid down in a dreamlike state, and placed the point of his wand on his chest.

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><p>Luna Lovegood and her dad had rebuilt the house fairly well after the Erumpet explosion and ran the Quibbler together. The magazine had gotten a surge in popularity after the Second Wizarding War, having had exclusive interviews with people as important as Harry Potter himself afterwards. However, it had reverted to its former nonsensical and odd ways. The Quibbler was still selling pretty well, though, since the Wizarding population seemed to have become more open-minded since the Ministry had been de-corrupted.<p>

Each night, Luna would stroll in and around the village of Ottery St. Catchpole, often circling Stoatshead Hill several times, sometimes fishing for Gulping Plimpies and sometimes merely stargazing. She was taking one of her nightly strolls when she looked down and saw someone lying on the ground. It was George Weasley. She laid down beside him.

"Hello, George. The stars are nice tonight, aren't they? I can see Orion over there – can you see his belt?"

George jumped up, snapping out of his trance, eyes wide. "LUNA! BLOODY–"

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said serenely, rising to her feet as well. "Did I frighten you?"

"Frighten me? Well, I am surprised. You're the last person I'd expect to come along right in the middle of my–" He stopped, cutting himself short.

Luna was puzzled. "What, you weren't looking at the stars? They are quite interesting. Have you met the squirrel on the left star of Orion's belt? He's quite a charming little creature."

Now it was George's turn to be confused. "Squirrel – Orion – no – I was – I was – going to – kill–" And he wept.

Luna understood, though. "Fred wouldn't want you to."

"Wh – what?" he said, drying his eyes.

"Fred," Luna continued, "wants you to go back to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. The children miss you."

"How would _you _know?"

"Orion's squirrel told me," she said simply.

"What the–" And then George burst into laughter for the first time in over a year.

Luna couldn't see what was so funny, but she was glad George was happy. She and her father had worried about him.

"Goodnight, George."

"Goodnight, Luna."

She pecked him quickly on the cheek and then continued her peaceful walk.

George laid down on the grass. If he squinted hard enough, he could see the squirrel on the left star of Orion's belt.

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><p>The next morning, George bounded happily down the stairs for breakfast, a smile on his face.<p>

"Good, morning, George," his mother said gloomily.

"G'morning, Mum. Fine day, isn't it?"

"It–" And she turned around to see her sun grinning cheerily.

"Oh, Georgie!" she exclaimed, wrapping him in a tight hug.

The Weasleys went back to being their old happy selves after that. George reopened his shop and children everywhere rejoiced. Of course, the Weasleys never forgot Fred, but they made do.

And every night, George and Luna would lay side by side at the bottom of Stoatshead Hill, having conversations with Orion's squirrel.


End file.
